[April 10, 2014]SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) — Global personal computer shipments fell in the first
three months of 2014, the eighth straight quarter of
decline, although the industry got a boost from
companies replacing aging computers, according to two
market research firms on Wednesday.

Hurt by consumers' continuing shift toward
tablets and smartphones, PC shipments in the March quarter were
down 4.4 percent compared with the same quarter in 2013, IDC
said in a news release. IDC had previously expected a 5.3
percent dip for the quarter.

Gartner, a rival market research company, said in a news release
that PC shipments in the March quarter fell 1.7 percent.

IDC and Gartner both said shipments in the first quarter got a
bump as companies replaced their older PCs ahead of the end of
the Windows XP operating system, which Microsoft stopped
supporting on Tuesday.

"The transition to more mobile devices and usage modes is
unlikely to stop, although the short-term impact on PC shipments
may slow as tablet penetration rises," IDC said. "There is
potential for PC shipments to stabilize, but not much
opportunity for growth."

Gartner said total PC shipments in the first quarter were 76.6
million, while IDC said 73.4 million PC were shipped.

Intel, central to the PC industry, is due to post its
first-quarter results on Tuesday. Analysts on average expect the
chipmaker's revenue to have grown about 2 percent, according to
Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.